Robbie Basho was an American folk musician who was active from 1965 until his untimely death in 1986. Based on a quick glance of Basho’s Wikipedia page, it seems he plays in a style reminiscent of John Fahey with an open tuning. Basho also studied under Ali Akbar Khan, an Indian classical musician and virtuoso. This album, Venus in Cancer (1969), was Basho’s sixth studio album, and seems to have been well-received upon its release. I’m pretty stoked to check out this album, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Venus In Cancer” starts with some really beautiful guitar playing that rings and drones on in a fashion that reminds me of a mash-up of John Fahey and the British folk revival guitarists like Bert Jansch. Wow, I’m really digging this track a ton already. John Fahey and Bert Jansch are two of my favorite guitarists of all time, and this feels like a super sweet combination of both of them. I think I can hear what sounds to be a sort of raga influence in the playing as well, especially in the droning bass notes. Oh wow, the playing takes a somewhat dark turn as tension builds up in the music. Oh wow, the playing seems to break through some of the tension with some sweet high notes. Oh wow, I’m really digging the guitar work in this track. The evolving playing almost comes across as long-form poetry presented as the playing of a guitar. The end of the track kind of reminds me of Joe Diorio’s “India”. Wow, great song, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Eagle Sails The Blue Diamond Waters” starts out with some super sweet and light acoustic guitar that seems to run and shift throughout the soundscape like the waves in running water. Holy smokes, there are some really interesting vocals in this track that sound like a tenor in classical opera combined with yodeling, with no real lyrics but more so the belting of air through the singers mouth in a musical fashion. The overall feeling is like you’re viewing the horizon of the Appalachian mountains beyond a forest that has a river running through it. You can almost hear the different deer, birds, wolves, and other animals and wildlife in the music. Oh wow, it sounds as though the song picks up a certain raga influence in the playing as the track nears the end. Oh wow, I’m really digging the bright and tight strums of the acoustic guitar at the end of the track, which seems to finish with a somewhat chaotic, yet satisfying resolution. Great track.
Oh wow, “Kowaka D’Amour” begins with some dark, meandering acoustic guitar that has me pulled further onto the edge of my seat. I really dig the droning bass notes of the acoustic guitar in what sounds to be an open tuning. I’m trying to find what “Kowaka” means in English, but the closest things I can find are “kowaku”, which means awkwardness in Japanese, and “Kowakab”, which is a name for a Muslim girl that means Bright Star, according to urdupoint.com. Regardless of the meaning, I’m incredibly interested. This track reminds me more of the jazz guitar stylings of Joe Diorio combined with a bit of John Fahey. Oh wow, the track enters into a sort of dark, folksy, shamanic territory, as though the guitar is beckoning you through a dark forest in some folktale to get to your grandmother’s house. Oh wow, the tension built up releases somewhat as the playing seems to exit the dark forest. Wow, great track.
“Song For The Queen” starts out with a combination of twangy, droning bass notes, and harmonics in the high notes, which produce a sound that seems as though you’re walking along a foggy beach while waves gently wash along the shore. Oh wow, there’s more vocals in this track that have lyrics this time, and are again presented in a somewhat classical, operatic fashion. Oh wow, there’s also some really sweet orchestral strings in the background of the track, nearly giving the song a regal sound when combined with the guitar work. Oh wow, the soundscape shifts a bit into something brighter, almost as though the musical fog has guided you away from the beach into some strange forest. It almost sounds like there is a distant, muted horn in the soundscape at some points as well that gradually swells, and again gives a regal feeling to the soundscape. Holy smokes, the vocals turn into a sort of narrative story, and not necessarily sung, but spoken with a musical quality akin to some old folk artists. Oh wow, the guitar playing seems to continually get sweeter as the track comes to a close. Great tune.
“Cathedrals Et Fluer De Lis” begins with some interesting guitar chords that seem to be a mixture of baroque Spanish guitar, acoustic jazz guitar from the likes of Joe Diorio, and a bit of the open-tuning American primitive style of John Fahey. “Fleur-de-lis” is French for “lily flower”. Oh wow, the guitar playing changes up to some really sweet, nearly medieval folk style that nearly sounds like the strings of a harpsichord being plucked. Oh wow, the guitar picks up some of the droning and resonance reminiscent of both raga and American primitive guitar. Oh wow, the ending of the track becomes quite chaotic for a moment before resolving to some sweet chords reminiscent of the beginning of the song. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Wine Song” begins with some strong vocals that have an operatic/concert-hall presence that reminds me of The Weavers, which is quickly accompanied by some smooth, shifting, and flowing acoustic guitar in that American primitive style reminiscent of John Fahey. I’m also reminded a little bit of Pete Seeger in this track with the generally folksy and narrative feel of the soundscape. Super sweet track, and a super sweet way to finish the album.
Wow, I really enjoyed listening to this album tonight. Many of these songs on this album seem like they’d be great for listening to on a hammock on a hill that overlooks a forest, and the others seem to transport you to a different forest if you close your eyes and listen. If you’re a fan of worldly combinations of folk music, ranging from raga to baroque European folk to American primitive guitar, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, then I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A